ABSTRACT

Research on intersectional differences among sexual minority youth (SMY) relies on population-level datasets to ensure sufficiently large samples to explore between-group differences and assess the influence of axes of oppression/privilege. I argue that a structural equation modeling framework for investigating intersectional differences among SMY increases the nuance with which we understand heterogeneity and provides tools for ensuring that variables measure comparable constructs across diverse populations – an assumption of traditional univariate methods that is rarely empirically verified. Using a subset of SMY that identified as either White or Hispanic/Latino and male or female from the New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey (N = 3,654), this study tested invariance of three latent constructs: psychological distress, substance use, and adult support across sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, sex, and three-way intersections of those identities. Analyses established invariance across race/ethnicity and sex of all constructs among gay/lesbian youth. Partial invariance models were required to account for intersectional differences in substance use among bisexual youth and in psychological distress among questioning youth. This study models a novel strategy for examining how social location at the intersection of multiple axes of oppression/privilege shape behavioral health and social support and paves the way for significant advances in research on SMY.

摘要

性少数青年 (SMY) 的交叉差异研究依赖于人口水平的数据集，以确保有足够大的样本来探索群体间差异并评估压迫/特权轴心的影响。我认为，用于研究 SMY 之间的交叉差异的结构方程建模框架增加了我们理解异质性的细微差别，并提供了确保变量衡量不同人群的可比较结构的工具——传统单变量方法的假设很少经过经验验证。使用来自新墨西哥青年风险和复原力调查（N = 3,654）的被确定为白人或西班牙裔/拉丁裔和男性或女性的 SMY 子集，本研究测试了三种潜在结构的不变性：心理困扰，物质使用，以及跨性取向、种族/民族、性别和这些身份的三向交集的成人支持。分析男女同性恋青年中所有结构的跨种族/民族和性别的既定不变性。需要部分不变性模型来解释双性恋青年在物质使用方面的交叉差异和质疑青年的心理困扰。本研究模拟了一种新策略，用于检验处于多重压迫/特权轴交叉点的社会定位如何影响行为健康和社会支持，并为 SMY 研究取得重大进展铺平道路。需要部分不变性模型来解释双性恋青年在物质使用方面的交叉差异和质疑青年的心理困扰。本研究模拟了一种新策略，用于检验处于多重压迫/特权轴交叉点的社会定位如何影响行为健康和社会支持，并为 SMY 研究取得重大进展铺平道路。需要部分不变性模型来解释双性恋青年在物质使用方面的交叉差异和质疑青年的心理困扰。本研究模拟了一种新策略，用于检验处于多重压迫/特权轴交叉点的社会定位如何影响行为健康和社会支持，并为 SMY 研究取得重大进展铺平道路。